Fatigue, Depression and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Post-Myocardial Infarction during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Augsburg Myocardial Infarction Registry

Christa Meisinger; Inge Kirchberger; Philip Raake; Jakob Linseisen; Timo Schmitz

doi:10.3390/jcm12196349

Fatigue, Depression and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Post-Myocardial Infarction during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results from the Augsburg Myocardial Infarction Registry

J Clin Med. 2023 Oct 3;12(19):6349. doi: 10.3390/jcm12196349.

Authors

Christa Meisinger¹, Inge Kirchberger¹, Philip Raake², Jakob Linseisen^{1

3}, Timo Schmitz¹

Affiliations

¹ Epidemiology, Medical Faculty, University of Augsburg, 86156 Augsburg, Germany.
² Department of Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine and Intensive Care, University Hospital Augsburg, 86156 Augsburg, Germany.
³ Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry and Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, 81377 Munich, Germany.

Abstract

The interplay between fatigue and depression and their association with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has received little attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study evaluated the frequency of fatigue and depression in post-AMI patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and investigated the cross-sectional associations between fatigue, depression and HRQoL.

Methods: The analysis was based on population-based Myocardial Infarction Registry Augsburg data. All survivors of AMI between 1 June 2020 and 15 September 2021 were included (n = 882) and received a postal questionnaire containing questions about fatigue (Fatigue Assessment Scale), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire), and HRQoL (MacNew Heart Disease HRQoL questionnaire) on 17 November 2021. The questionnaire was returned by 592 patients (67.1%), and 574 participants could be included in the analysis. Multivariable linear regression models were performed to investigate the associations between fatigue and depression (both exposures) and HRQoL (outcome).

Results: Altogether, 273 (47.6%) participants met the criteria for the presence of fatigue, about 16% showed signs of moderate to severe depression. Both fatigue and depression were significantly associated with a decreased HRQoL (total score and emotional, social, and physical subscales; all p-values < 0.0001). In particular, a combined occurrence of fatigue and depression was associated with a significantly reduced HRQoL.

Conclusions: It seems necessary to screen post-MI patients for the presence of fatigue and depression in clinical practice on a routine basis to provide them with adequate support and treatment and thus also to improve their HRQoL.

Keywords: COVID-19; depression; fatigue; health-related quality of life; myocardial infarction.

Grants and funding

This research received support from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Augsburg, and the University Hospital of Augsburg, Germany. Since the year 2000, the collection of MI data has been co-financed by the German Federal Ministry of Health to provide population-based MI morbidity data for the official German Health Report (see http://www.gbe-bund.de) (accessed on 3 July 2023).